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Thornbridge Hall For Royal Challenge


19 October 2007 at 12:39

It is a fairly remarkable fact that in 1710 Joseph Watson drove 24 brace of stags some 209 miles from Lyme Park (near Stockport) to Windsor to win a bet of 500 guineas and at the same time improve the bloodline of Windsor ’s own herd of red dear. Even more remarkable says Jim Harrison MD at Thornbridge Brewery “is the fact that Joseph Watson drank a gallon of malt liquor per day and worked for 70 years as a gamekeeper”. The brewery got to hear of the gamekeeper’s exploits when Emily Orford, Head warden at the National Trust’s Lyme Park, approached them to brew a traditional ale that would have been familiar to Watson and to support
the walk she is planning to commemorate the deed. Emily, accompanied by volunteer ‘stags’ will be wending her way from Lyme to Windsor between 18 October and 2 November. It was her idea to use Watson’s walk to attempt to raise £50,000 in sponsorship for conservation work to restore two derelict landscape ponds at Lyme, which are important wildlife habitats. At the very end of the walk, HRH Prince Philip will greet the ‘stags’ and be presented with a bottle of Thornbridge’s ale at Windsor Castle.

“He was obviously a tough and very dedicated employee” says Emily who will be in costume as Watson on the day of the launch. Unfortunately the 500 guineas he won would have gone to his employer, Lord Newton, but I’m sure it boosted Watson’s standing in the popularity stakes at Lyme enormously! What he might have made of a woman repeating his journey 300 years later is anyone’s guess – but I like to think he would have secretly approved!”

 
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